1. Field of the Invention
The technology relates to telephone monitoring, comparing and recording devices.
2. Prior Art
Recording of telephone calls dates back to the 1920 (an example from Hellwarth (U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,956) is the Rice patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,230) and digital recording dates U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,756 in 1976.
HELLWARTH: (FILED Apr. 20, 1989) The '956 patent discloses an electronic computer system for control of a telephone instrument. Phones of the present assignee with on-site cpu's were in circulation well before such filing date of the '956 patent. In fact, Dively, U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,840, cited in the Hellwarth '956 patent, and filed in 1985, shows a telephone with a CPU.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,261 to BROWN (FILED Aug. 20, 1993) is a phone patent directed towards selectively blocking or recording calls in response to some parameter. There are “parameters” marking calls where the parameter is a specific number, a triggering event, or a call feature or a type of call (such as a call to a specific number). Most of these events are at least generally present in the prior art as shown below. For example a message in response to a third line on a party call (U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,698) would be similar “three way calling”. Termination or blocking of calls at this stage is covered in prior art, but not cited in the Brown application. Hird I–IV, discussed below (1990 issue dates), shows methods of reacting to call specific ‘parameters’. The calls are continuously monitored for the parameter in question, calls may be blocked or recorded selectively and messages may be played back. All of these features are also shown below in the prior art.
GATEWAY II-McFarlen (filed Mar. 11, 1996) U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,811 discloses a method for determining three way call events.
The Hird U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,908,852; 4,920,558; 4,920,562; 4,933,966; 5,093,858 cover operator free call placement. All of the claims involve an ‘electronic operator’ where the phone has stored messages for collecting information from the call maker and call recipient. Billing information is also retrieved. Storage of call data information (mainly for billing) and automatic termination is discussed. Speech files are digitized and stored for purposes of playback within the phone. The main concept follows the prior art where the operator's various tasks are replaced by the cpu and automated responses along with a time keeping function for billing.
There have been ‘electronic operators’ within phones sold since 1989. These phones were purchased from inventories of such phones, although there were various upgrades to the systems as software design and hardware capabilities were refined. Some of this technology was felt to be present and in wide-spread use before 1989. A discussion of the pre-Hellwarth prior art (from Hellwarth) will shed some additional light.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,109 discusses call forwarding. Manipulation (termination) of some call features is discussed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,756 is a billing acknowledgment system for phones accomplishing the tasks claimed in Hellwarth and Hird to some extent. Another similar patent in scope is Frey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,577.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,371,752 covers storage of telephone data (more in the form of a high tech answering machine). Forwarding of the calls is covered. Storage and retrieval of call specific data is also covered. U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,698 appears to be an early patent for establishing a line signal of a desired type (a telephone pick-up) and providing information primarily for controlling party lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,855 is another signal detection patent.
Rice, U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,230 is a system for storing and monitoring telephone call discrete information. “Status” data is transmitted to a CPU. Diesel, U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,273 is a forwarding patent which allows data from the call to determine if it should be forwarded.